“Christmas Chaos: Plane Makes Emergency Landing Amidst UK Airport’s Turbulent Weather”

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A jet made an emergency landing at a Belfast airport due to strong gusts as poor weather hindered transportation across the UK ahead of Christmas.

Belfast City Airport had to implement emergency protocols on Sunday after the front wheel of a jet collapsed upon touchdown during challenging weather. There were no injuries reported.

Four crew members were aboard the Emerald Airlines flight when the difficult landing took place around 4pm on Sunday afternoon while winds reached up to 82mph in parts of the UK.

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The event resulted in the runway being closed for the remainder of the day, after the airport reported that Friday had been the busiest day of the year thus far. Multiple flights were redirected to Belfast International Airport on Sunday evening.

This situation occurred as weather alerts were issued across the UK, except for the eastern areas of England, resulting in ferry, train, and flight cancellations negatively impacting travelers heading home for Christmas.

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Although the warnings for high winds on Sunday have since cleared, having recorded gusts of 82mph in Orkney and South Uist, the Met Office has issued a new alert for icy conditions in sections of northeast Scotland, effective until 10am on Monday.

Heathrow Airport announced that around 100 flights were canceled on Sunday, and passengers were urged to confirm with their airline prior to travel due to strong gusts and airspace limitations.

Several Loganair flights from Glasgow Airport to the Hebrides were scrapped, while Scotland’s primary ferry service, Caledonian MacBrayne, canceled numerous crossings to and from the Western Isles on Sunday due to severe weather—and has also updated schedules for Monday and Christmas Eve.

P&O Ferries reported that scheduled departures from Larne in Northern Ireland and Cairnryan in southern Scotland at 8pm have been delayed until 11pm due to adverse weather conditions.

This occurs amid warnings of a “perfect storm” created by severe weather and traffic congestion.

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The AA estimated that 21.3 million motorists would take to the roads on Sunday, with 22.7 million anticipated on Saturday—slightly lower than the 23.7 million expected on Friday, which was projected to be the busiest day on the roads since the group’s records began in 2010.

A spokesperson stated: “If congestion wasn’t challenging enough, the inclement weather could generate the perfect storm. We recommend that those venturing out allow extra time for travel and increase the following distance from other vehicles.”

Looking toward the upcoming week, conditions are predicted to improve and the UK may experience a “grey Christmas” instead of a white one.

Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud mentioned: “We anticipate some sunny intervals in the east and significant cloudiness from the west. Temperatures are expected to rise considerably, leading to extremely mild conditions on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

“In England and Wales, temperatures will be noticeably above average with some grey skies. We’re forecasting an average of about 12C or 13C on Christmas Eve and 11C or 12C on Christmas Day. The usual average for this period is about 7C or 8C, so we’ll be roughly double that.”

“Nighttime temperatures in Scotland for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be remarkably mild.”

Additional reporting by PA